by Ann DeWitt
Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, created a scene in the novel where self-proclaimed midwife and house servant Prissy is needed to help main character Scarlett O’Hara deliver a baby during the Civil War because doctors are swamped in caring for dying soldiers. In the end, Prissy is adamant about having a doctor deliver the baby which angers Scarlett.
While some literary pundits describe Prissy as an incompetent buffoon, I believe that Margaret Mitchell was making an overarching point. Ms. Mitchell was documenting that there were African-American midwives in the 19th century. These midwives were equivalent to today’s 21st century Physician Assistants. However, there is another underlying point. Ethically, I do not believe that a doctor would choose a dying soldier over the birth of a new born baby without cause. The doctor in Gone With the Wind must have trusted Prissy to deliver the baby more than Prissy perhaps believed in herself. Bottom line, Margaret Mitchell’s Prissy symbolizes the fact that 19th century African-American midwives were on a path in becoming future doctors.
Comparatively for The Street Life Series, this leads us to Kevin M. Weeks’ female Detective Fordham, who is Atlanta Detective Paul Yeomans’ partner. Detective Yeomans speaks highly of the skills of his partner and works well with her. Atlanta Detective Fordham and Washington, D.C. Detective Hanae Troop symbolize the career progression of women in law enforcement. Both women are characterized by Kevin M. Weeks as having a high aptitude for math and science. As of today, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial documents that 12 percent of all sworn law enforcement officers are women.
So, how do we increase the number of women in career fields which require in-depth knowledge of math and science? Even though there are several programs designed to address the eroding pipeline of women in high tech fields, I have a theory of at least one impending challenge that we face in achieving landmark success.
In public school, there comes a pivotal point when the building blocks of math and science conflict with religion. As an example, though I aced trigonometry in high school, I know for sure that I no longer loved math after studying the subject of Statistics and Probability.
Textbooks such as McGraw-Hill utilize techniques such as a deck of cards to teach students probability; however, many churches band their parishioners from playing cards. Look at the bi-laws for religions such as Pentecostals, Southern Baptists and Methodists. Back in high school, I did not know any of the face cards during that Statistics and Probability course. Therefore, my grades slipped until I could stealthily learn enough about playing cards to pass the class which was in direct violation of my religious beliefs.
We must remember that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not only in regards to race, but also for religion. For instance, “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” A child should not have to disavow their religious beliefs to learn a critical skill in this country. Today’s 21st century question is: How often does religion conflict with math and science teaching methods which may result in a student never reaching his or her ultimate career potential? Likewise, let us not forget that education is the cornerstone of success.
In summary, 1939 Margaret Mitchell’s Prissy represented the dawn of female African-American doctors. 2009 Kevin M. Weeks’ Detectives Fordham and Hanae Troop are representative of the advancement of women in high tech math and science careers. However, the time has come for the gatekeepers of this country to lay down the stereotypes and pick back up the mantle of social leadership so that together we all, regardless of race, religion, gender and/or social class, can cross the bridge and partake in Dr. Martin Luther King’s visionary promise land.
Highlighting the good in humanity, Ann
Photos of Margaret Mitchell and Kevin M Weeks
Note: “Gone With the Wind” its character names and elements are trademarks of. Turner Entertainment Co. and the Stephens Mitchell Trusts. “The Street Life Series” is a trademark of Kevin M. Weeks.
